Emotional Intelligence is So Important in Our Lives

I have been enthralled by Emotional Intelligence (EI) throughout my career in education. Over the years, I have spent lots of time understanding, teaching, and implementing EI in my work and life. To see what I mean, do a search in this blog by typing in "Emotional Intelligence" and see the posts I have dedicated to EI resources. Here are just a few posts:

• For All Educators -> Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence (7/3/15)

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (3/3/17)

• On Cue Everyone, "Consider EQ Before IQ": Leading with Emotional Intelligence (12/31/21)

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Here is the latest EI resource I have grabbed on to ---->

I am in the middle of the book, and it has so much good information on employing EI with teams. I bumped into the author, Dr. Vanessa Druskat, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of New Hampshire when we both presented at the May TEDx Portsmouth. Here is a link to her presentation. She gives so much strong information regarding team building in her talk AND in her book.

WHAT IF . . . Reading to Children

I had an amazing opportunity to talk about the importance of reading to children and read the book I wrote — Forward Backwards THE SAME — at the recent TEDx Portsmouth 2025 event at the Music Hall. I read to an audience with over 900 people. The audience was so engrossed, and the TEDx staff was outstanding in how they presented all 14 individual speakers, moving towards a "What If . . ." theme.

Here is an excellent GRANITE GOODNESS website review by Andy DeMeo presenting all that TED does.

Great Stories to Read to Middle Schoolers

I have always enjoyed reading to children. Here is an article — "The Joy of Reading to Children" — I wrote for "Montessori Life" magazine with the American Montessori Society back in 2017. It can give you some important information and thoughts. 

Also, High Marks - Stories That Make Good Reading compiled by Annette Sloan & Albert Capaccio is a book I have used over the years to read to middle school students. Here is a sample of the stories students enjoy:

"The Lion Roared" by Virginia Eiseman
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
"How Much Land Does a Man Need" by Leo Tolstoy
"The Necklace" by Guy De Maupassant
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs

Also, the book includes thoughtful questions at the end of each story.

A Joy — Reading To Children

It is so good to have libraries all around. Our local Greenland, NH library has such beautiful and well stocked books for children and teens. AND it's all FREE! 

As I have mentioned earlier, I read to preschoolers at two different schools, and many of my books-to-read come from their school and town libraries AND my own books that have accumulated over the years. Here is a children's favorite, Boffo The Great Motorcycle Race.

What a joy it is to be with them watching their faces as I read stories, especially when I change voices of characters in the readings. Here is a Boffo read I implemented during COVID when I could not be with the children . . . 

PALINDROME PAL

Here is a book I just wrote and is now published with Amazon: Forward backwards THE SAME. The book is available through Amazon.  Here is the Amazon link. 

The illustrations that Karina Taylor provided are thoughtfully beautiful. 

Forty years ago as a 5th grade math teacher, I was fascinated by palindromes and as expected and when presented, so were my students.  

Feel free to pass on a comment after you read the book. Many thanks!

Supercommunicators

Supercommunicators caught my attention right from the beginning with author Charles Duhigg highlighting the importance and use of emotional intelligence throughout the book. As an example, he states "One of the reasons supercommunicators are so talented at picking up on how others feel is because they have a habit of noticing the energy in others' gestures, the volume of their voices, how fast they are speaking, their cadence and effect."

Here is more of getting to know Charles Duhigg and his good work via his TEDx Manchester video . . . 

Learning How to OUTLIVE

For those of us who are educators and parents over 50, the book Outlive really is the science and art of life longevity. This bestselling book is so helpful. To get you started, below is a terrific PBS interview with author Peter Attia, MD. 

Also, here is a link to his amazing website where he specifically takes you through exercise, nutrition, sleep, medications & supplements, mental & emotional health, and risks.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid — Amazing

Ever since my seven-year-old grandson recommended a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, — AND my granddaughter has 14 books in the series — I am on my second book. Wow! How did I miss this in my readings? Above is a picture of author Jeff Kinney's collection that is now 15 years old.

Speaking of author Kinney, check out this great PBS interview where he talks about his Wimpy Kid and the 250 million copies out worldwide that have come in for his work. 

Reading to Children — A Delight For Them and You

I have been reading to children — preschool through middle school — for over 40 years. I began with my own children, and I made my way through my entire education career and into retirement. United Way's Ready Readers program got me up and running in my retirement years.  I now read to two preschool classes in two different schools on a weekly basis. I am also working on publishing a children's book.

New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof's article (11/24/24) "Gift Ideas That Push Back the Darkness" is special. One of his recommended gift ideas is "Help a child learn to read!" It is spot-on regarding reading to children . . . "Reach Out and Read operates across the United States. It now reaches one-fifth of children 5 and under in America and aims to reach half by 2030."

Nexus - Stone Age to AI - A Lesson for all to Learn

Nexus is a special book for educators and parents and the children they serve. They will all get a clear, outstanding picture of the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Yuval Noah Harari is one of my favorite authors. He is so thoughtful and brilliant in how he takes the reader from the beginning of humanity to AI, making sure he explains democracy, wars, evolution of communication via newspapers, radio, television, phones, computers, and the many aspects of algorithms. 

If you don't have the time to read the book, go to the BIG THINK website to listen to Harari's Nexus 75-minute interview; he is such a good speaker.

8 Ways to Help Children Cultivate Happiness

"Here are 8 ways to help children cultivate happiness:

• Foster strong social connections.

• Model grace and courtesy.

• Introduce and practice mindfulness.

• Lead an appreciation practice.

• Set goals.

• Provide opportunities for movement.

• Have a sense of humor.

• Help children identify and pursue their interests."

Article "8 Ways to Help Children Cultivate Happiness" and picture are from American Montessori Society Montessori Life magazine (8/7/24) and blog by author Heather White.

Helping Parents, Children, and Educators With AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Since the beginning of April, the book The Anxious Generation has been on the New York Times bestsellers list. 

Below is an interview with the author, Jonathan Haidt. It captures the essence of the book, and both the book and the video are so helpful if you want to know where we are and where we are going with children, parents, education, and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

Here is the interview:

Such a Great Read Aloud Book For Children . . . and Adults

I read to preschool classes twice a week, and for the first time in six years, a class requested — almost demanded — one morning that I read for a second time Pretty Ugly. I easily understood why. This is a must-read book for children AND adults. It has such a clever story and is so beautifully illustrated.

As many of you know, David Sedaris is pretty darn funny and clever, and the illustrations by Ian Falconer are so terrific. Here is a neat interview with David via Seth Meyers.

Who Moved My Cheese?

Written in 1998 by Spencer Johnson, M.D., this book is a fantastic read that you can read in an hour.  The quote on the cover says it all — "An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life." Also, "Cheese" is a metaphor for what you want to have in life—whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health, or spiritual peace of mind."

If you don't have an hour to read the book or you want to share the story with a child, you can click over to this three minute YouTube graphic version.

Laugh at Yourself

Some great advice from the weekly JAM (Just A Minute to read). If you have not done so already, go to the JAM website when you have a chance.

Here are two quotes from the January 26, 2024 JAM – "Laugh at Yourself":

"It is so important to not take yourself too seriously. Laughing at yourself shows humility and brings us closer together."

"When you can laugh at yourself it displays a softened ego. It shows that you do not think you are better than others. Learn to laugh at yourself."

How to Know a Person

Author and NYTimes columnist, David Brooks's, newest book is so helpful in understanding and building relations with others, especially for parents and teachers working with each other in support of child education and role modeling.

Here are a couple of quotes about how to know a person:

 

Chapter 11: The Art of Empathy 

"Empathy consists of at least three related skills. First there is the skill of mirroring." 

The second empathy skill is mentalizing.

The third empathy skill is caring. 

Chapter 17: What is Wisdom? 

"Wisdom is the ability to see deeply into who people are and how they should move in the complex situations of life."

These two chapters alone make this such an important book to read.

Here is a PBS seven-minute interview with David.

Click here for a wonderful hour-long video of David presenting the book at the Free Library of Philadelphia AUTHOR EVENTS; you will get an in-depth view that has been viewed by over 1M people.

Momentum – Dr. Maria Montessori Caring for Children

      Momentum Montessori, a Life in Motion, an historical novel by Elizabeth Slade, is not only captivating, it gives significant insights into Dr. Maria Montessori's life in motion. Included are insight and determination into becoming one of the first women doctors in Italy, her care for her son and mother, and her accomplishments caring for children throughout the world are beautifully told throughout the book. Dr. Montessori was a determined woman.

      Here is a quote from "Chapter 8 • 1906" (pg. 134) that captures her insights into caring for children: "It seemed what they [children] most desired was a prepared environment with real activities to occupy their hands. It seemed the most effective way was to offer them the instruction individually, with few words."

Helping Children - 7 Ways to Find More Meaning in Your Life

I discovered GoodRx from a friend and physician and how it supports ongoing health information.

"7 Ways to Find More Meaning in Your Life" is one of the great articles passed on to subscribers. These "7 Ways" certainly serve as role models for children. Here are the "7 Ways," and do click over to the article to get a nice fill-in for each way.

1.  Find your passion

2.  Embody your values

3.  Give back

4.  Reflect on your gifts

5.  Look for role models

6.  Practice gratitude

7.  Think about your legacy

Teaching Our Children Humanity

With all that is going in in our world today . . .

"We should teach humanity in school. Our children need to be taught how to be compassionate to themselves, to others and to our world. Education is universal. We are missing the greatest opportunity to teach our children what is most important: kindness, compassion, self-love, and equanimity. They were born with it but life has buried it."

From the September 8 Daily JAM

Contact

Humankind A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman is powerful and gives a comprehensive look at the history of humanity. It crosses paths with Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens.

There is one chapter — "The Best Remedy For Hate, Injustice and Prejudice" — that is excellent on presenting the best remedy for these humanity issues, and the remedy is "CONTACT." Here is an excerpt (page 358) from that chapter: 

"Contact engenders more trust, more solidarity and more mutual kindness. It helps you see the world through other people's eyes. Moreover, it changes you as a person, because individuals with a diverse group of friends are more tolerant towards strangers. And contact is contagious: when you see a neighbor getting along with others, it makes you rethink your own biases."